NCDC Players of the Month – North Division: January 2023

North Division 

Forwards

Jonathon Surrette, Boston Junior Bruins

Maybe it was the colder weather that kicked in around November, but really since Halloween, Surrette has proven nearly unstoppable. Twenty-nine of his 30 points have been registered since Halloween Day, and 15 of those 30 were posted in January’s 11 games. Surrette led all NCDC players with January point production with a 7-8-15 line. This included his two best games on back-to-back days Jan. 25-26, first putting up a 2-3-5 line against the South Shore Kings, and then he put up a 1-3-4 against the Advantage the very next day. Surrette, who has had two five-game goal-scoring streaks this year, has an 18-12-30 line in 39 games. 

Jack Hillier, South Shore Kings 

The Kings have been on a mission to hold onto their current standings position, which could potentially seal up a playoff berth. Hillier has done his part to keep the Kings within view of being in the top four in the North and get to play beyond mid-March. In January’s eight games, he put up five goals and seven assists for 12 points, including his third hat trick of the season against the division’s top team, the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs on Jan. 13. One of the leading rookie scorers in the NCDC, Hillier has a 16-15-31 line in 36 games. 

Coleman Jenkins, Boston Junior Bruins

The Junior Bruins had their share of struggles early on but are now very much a playoff contender, especially putting up six wins in January and leapfrogging other hungry teams in their search for a top four spot. It certainly helped to bring back one of their key contributors from a deep playoff run in 2021. Jenkins, a Holy Cross recruit for 2023-24, rejoined the Junior Bruins from the BCHL in January and made an immediate impact with a 2-8-10 line in just seven games, including the GWG on Jan. 31 against Twin City and a 1-4-5 performance on Jan. 25 against South Shore. 

Defensemen

Zander Lizotte, New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs

Many were the reasons that the Monarchs were No. 1 in the North as February dawned, but perhaps none more prevalent than the continued A++ performance of their all-time leading scorer among defensemen. Lizotte is also No. 2 in games played all time for the squad, joining former teammate Aidan Curran as the only two ever to have crossed the 100-game milestone in Purple and Gold. In January, Lizotte posted a 2-7-9 line and maintained an even plus-minus rating to push the Monarchs to an eventual three-point lead to close the month. Lizotte has 25 points in 39 games this year, putting him in the top 10 for NCDC defenseman scoring. 

Elijah Brown, Islanders Hockey Club 

The veteran ‘04 who wears the “C” as a co-captain for the Islanders was magic in helping his team make a push similar to the Junior Bruins in making themselves a serious playoff contender down the stretch. The Isles’ 6-2-0-1 mark for 13 points in January was the best in the North, and Brown was part of every high point. He co-led the league in plus-minus for January with a +10 (tied with the Junior Bruins’ Jonathon Surrette), and he posted six assists in his nine games. He also had 65 takeaways and eight blocked shots in January. 

Goaltender

Trey Miller, Twin City Thunder 

The Thunder are another one of those teams like the Kings, Islanders and Junior Bruins in that battle royale for a playoff spot. It will likely take more than their 3-3-0-2 record in January to keep pace with those gunning for top four, but they certainly have a chance every game with Trey Miller in net. Miller led the entire league in save percentage among goalies with at least four games played. He posted a .946 by making 157 saves on 166 shots and producing a 3-1-0-1 record last month. His GAA for January was a miniscule 1.74.